


Seattle

by pipisafoat



Series: Jamieverse [5]
Category: In Plain Sight
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-29
Updated: 2011-05-29
Packaged: 2017-10-19 21:44:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/205532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pipisafoat/pseuds/pipisafoat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She left as soon as the baby was born.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seattle

She left as soon as the baby was born.

She'd had the best of intentions. Stay and raise the kid. Take care of him. Show him that he was loved, tell him about his dad, be a good mother. When the nurse asked if she wanted to hold him, she said yes, ready to take on that responsibility of having a kid.

It wasn't the responsibility that made her leave, though that did scare the hell out of her. (How was she qualified to have a child? She didn't know anything about it! She'd never had a little brother or a niece or even a next-door neighbor with a baby. Her own life was such a wreck that her kid had no hope. She'd be terrible at parenting, she knew.) She was resigned to finally growing up when the bundle of blankets was placed into her arms. She was ready to change her life for her baby when she looked down and saw his face.

She pushed the picture out of her mind, unable to bear seeing his resemblance to Peter any longer. Even her current surroundings were preferable to his memory. Drab walls, metal bars, and a cot that was even less comfortable than floor, somehow. She sighed and focused on her hands, wandering over the hem of her shirt.

"Brandi?" She looked up into a face that she thought she should probably know from somewhere, but she couldn't place him. "Are you okay?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but shut it quickly when no noise came out. The man squatted down level with her.

"Brandi, do you remember me?" She shook her head. "I'm a friend of your sister. You can call me Bobby. We've all been worried about you. Are you okay?"

She nodded and returned her focus to her shirt.

Bobby stood up and unlocked her cell door. "Hey, come here," he said gently, holding out a hand. "Let me get you something to eat."

She shook her head and didn't move.

"Brandi, can you just say something? I need to know that you're okay."

She struggled for a minute, squeaking something unintelligible finally. She shrugged and looked up at the man.

"Let's get some food," he suggested again, and this time, she rose from the floor and followed him through the police station.

A ham sandwich and several bottles of water later, Bobby cleared his throat and leaned forward. "Are you up to talking to me, just a little bit? It's all off the record, we're not going to press charges, it's okay."

She shrugged.

"Do you know where you are?" She realized that the line in his forehead was worry, not anger.

"Police," she said, hating how her voice cracked. Shannons do not let their voices crack, she told herself silently. Shannons would rather say nothing than be seen as weak.

"Yeah," he replied, rubbing a hand over the top of his head, "but like, what city?"

She shrugged.

"Seattle. You're in Seattle."

"Washington?"

Bobby's breath left him in a rush. "Yeah, Washington. Do you remember coming here?"

She nodded. "Is Mary mad?"

"She's ... she's worried about you more than anything. She's not mad at you. She just wants you to come home."

"Is..."

Bobby put his hand on top of hers on the table. "Your son - James Ryan Shannon, by the way - is fine. Mary and Marshall are taking care of him."

"Good." She nodded firmly and stood up. "Thank you, Bobby."

"Wh... Where are you going?"

She shrugged. "Out. I'll be fine."

"Look, Brandi, this isn't about getting you out of jail to let you run back onto the streets. You need to go home. I'm nearly out of vacation time here; I've been trying to find you for a month now." He blocked the door and grabber her arm. "For Christ's sake, you're not okay. You're living like a hobo as far away as you can get from your own child. You've got some issues to work through, sure, but this isn't how to do it. You're dirty, you probably haven't showered in a month, you look sick, and you're definitely malnourished. You just got arrested for stealing a box of Cheerios from a 7-11. I'm taking you back to Albuquerque, settling the favor I owed Marshall, and getting the hell back to my own life. I'm sorry, but you really don't have any choice about it."

She stared up at him. "Okay."


End file.
